It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Revelation 21: 3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (NIV)

I can only imagine the day. The trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ are raised, and our eternal Savior and King returns to earth! As our key verses indicate, God's dwelling place will be amongst His people as He designed so long ago with Adam and Eve. We will be His people and He will be our God. Whatever tears we may have shed in our lifetime will be wiped away by the loving hand of our Creator. There will be no more death. No more mourning. No more crying and no more pain. The old order of this sin-sick world will finally pass away leaving the new heavens and earth with Jesus Christ as our Sovereign Lord. What a day it will be beloved! And while we know all of these things about that day thanks to the insight God has provided through His written Word we also know one more that day will not be this Saturday May 21, 2011.

Am I a prophet? No. I simply understand Scripture. Recently there has been a buzz made by certain Christians that the date of the rapture has been discovered and it is coming this week! Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on advertising to warn people of the coming judgment of God. But woe to those who claim to speak for God without actually hearing from Him:

"I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, 'I had a dream! I had a dream!' How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? Jeremiah 23: 25-26 (NIV)

But how can we be so sure that this Saturday is not the day the Lord returns? Simply put because He has told us so. Jesus speaking about that day:

"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. Matthew 24: 36 (NLT)

Did you catch that? No one knows. NO ONE. That is why you can be assured that when someone thinks within their own human arrogance to have "figured it out", that their answer must be wrong. Otherwise God would not be true and as we know the Bible assures us He is:

God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? Numbers 23: 19 (NLT)

Jesus continues His teaching:

"When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. Matthew 24: 37-39 (NLT)

Jesus is teaching that mankind will be relatively clueless when the Lord returns. Mankind will be preoccupied with the details of their lives and not even realize when it is time for the Son of Man to return. The parallel to Noah's day is interesting to consider. Realize that Noah warned his neighbors for 100 years as he built the ark. He warned them and they ignored him. They ignored him and he kept building the boat. By the time they realized their error the flood had come and they were unprepared and facing their day of judgment. That is how it will also be when the Lord returns. Let's face it, the world has been warned about the impending coming of the Lord for well over 100 years. It has actually been thousands of years. In this country alone it has been over 200 years. Warning after warning about the coming flood of judgment rising up against mankind. Many have taken heed and developed a relationship with Jesus Christ but many have simply ignored the warnings. On that day when the trumpet sounds it will be too late. Like the neighbors of Noah before them, they will realize their folly. They will realize that they ignored God for too long.

So then what should we be doing; those of us who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ? We need to be spending less time thinking about when He is coming back and more time doing His work until He does come back. We already have the blessed assurance of eternal life but there is a world of people on the outside looking in. We hold the key to their shackles yet do we offer it enough to them? What about our own lives and our own walk with the Lord? Jesus continues to teach us:

"So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24: 42-44 (NLT)

Keeping watch does not mean making wild speculation about when the Lord returns. It does not mean to stand staring at the sky. It means we need to keep watch of our own lives because we never know when the day might come. Too many of us live lives day to day, always thinking we have tomorrow to repent or make things right. God does not want lukewarm Christianity. You are either all in or nothing. The rich fool thought he could always put off tomorrow. The parable tells us that God blessed him yet instead of turning to God, he thought he could just build bigger barns and then relax and take it easy. This was the answer from God:

But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' Luke 12: 20 (NKJV)

That is the larger point beloved. We do not know when our life will be required of us, let alone when Jesus returns. Sometimes we act as if time is on our side. The truth is that God describes our time as but a vapor here today and gone tomorrow. But what happens after that is all about what we believe now:

That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left." Luke 17: 34-35 (NLT)

So the question today facing all of us is who do you want to be? Do you want to be the one taken by the Lord or the one left behind? The one who will meet the Lord in the air or the one who will be like the neighbors of Noah coming to the realization too late. Because while the prognosticator who is trying to scare everyone about this coming Saturday is wrong the campaign brings up an interesting reminder. Jesus IS coming back. And while we can now rest assured that it will not be this Saturday that does not mean it can't be this Sunday...or even this Friday. THAT is the true point. We simply do not know when the day will be. But it is definitely coming.

And so I would be remiss if I did not ask you today gentle reader, are you assured that you will be the mill worker taken up by the Lord if He were to return tomorrow? If so, what about your loved ones? Is there someone in your life that needs to read the true gospel message today? Wherever this devotional finds you today God is very much real.

The world may trick you into dismissing Him. Or maybe the great lie that you just have to be "spiritual." Or that as long as you are a "good person." Here is the problem with the good person theory:

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Romans 3: 10-12 (NIV)

When we think that God will accept us because we have lived up to some level of goodness we must remember that we are measuring ourselves against other people. Compared to your neighbor you may be "good" in human terms. But God is holy so when we compare ourselves to Him, we simply do not make the cut. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of a holy God. The Bible teaches us:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 23 (NIV)

Wages are what we earn. The wages for our sin is death. Eternal separation from God. What we have come to refer to as hell. Realize that God does not choose to send anyone to hell they freely make the choice of rejecting Him.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2Peter 3: 9 (NIV)

God doesn't want anyone to perish beloved. He has sent Noah to you on many occasions to warn you of the impending flood. To warn you of the coming judgment. He has sent Noah to you in many forms. Maybe as a praying relative or a believing parent. Maybe as a local preacher or a tract left on the bus seat you took. Maybe within the pages of this very devotional.

You know He is real because you have been searching for Him your entire life. You have filled that empty place in your heart with all the world has to offer. Maybe you filled it with work and a career only to find yourself laid off in a bad economy. Maybe you tried filling it with human relationships only to find yourself betrayed and used. Maybe you tried filling it with alcohol or drugs only to find yourself still empty and still searching. Still searching. Jesus is speaking to you today:

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7: 7-8 (NLT)

God has heard you asking. He has seen you seeking. He has opened the door unto Him. Through that door lie the promises of Almighty God. The promises of an eternal life spent with Him as He designed. The promises of He who cannot lie and will always do exactly what He says He will do. But you have to choose to walk through that door, ask Him into your heart to be Lord of your life, and follow Him while watching carefully for His return.

And no, that return will not be this Saturday but it is coming. That trumpet will sound and every tear will be wiped from your eyes. There will be no more mourning or death. No more crying or pain. The promises of the world cannot deliver that for you. Only God can; and He is coming soon. I pray you will be the mill worker that is taken. I pray you will be ready.

Reverend Anthony Wade May 20, 2011